Welding for Idiots

[Redback]

Me learning to weld

So the cardboard box was to entertain onlookers

Anyway, one of the best things I did to improve my crap welding skills, was to buy the auto dark welding shields, it's amazing how just getting the weld started properly, helps you finish it off properly.

So now I am a little bit more confident, which helps a lot, turned a crap welder into an ordinary welder

This was my first project






All the bends were cut and weld, I amazed myself AND a mate who reckoned someone else did it

[oldtrack123]

 Hi
 Bink08 said
"This is one of the problems with welding. Joining two different sizes of material to each other, ensuring both have the correct penetration without jeopardising the strength characteristics of the two materials. Without the correct knowledge of the material your welding you are venturing into a dangerous situation with big consequences.endquote"

 All amateurs should take heed!
Like oil, all steels are not steel[mild]

Weld some steels with the wrong electrode or preheat & you could have a serious failure @ an inopportune time.

SOME steels are almost unweldable without extra special care & treatment

Peter

[TroyE]

I've inherited my dads really old CIG arc (stick) welder it'll use rods of different sizes from1.8-3.6 and has no ajustments just bang in the rod and away you go ( got to love the huge copper core) I did a course 20 odd years ago, dad was an old school panel beater and spray painter, I grew up in his work shop and learned how to use oxy at about 10 yrs old braising, sweating, fusing, shrinking etc......

it all comes down to practice and practice some more and more and more...and then some more

[crispy]

Hi all this is an interesting post,i to have looked at doing a tafe course for welding ,it is over 5 weeks 2 nights a week at a cost of 89.00 per module they cover gas ,arc, mig & tig .My late father was a welder but i became a carpenter every time i tried to weld he would be there and just come across and gently grab the arc handle and say ill do it .He was one who taught himself after they came from england after the war and he was one of those who could just point it at metal and do an amazing job .I have got an old transarc tradesman variable amp settings and a cig trans mig and i still cant weld for s.....t .One of the welders at work said that once i have done the course and see what i am doing wrong then i will get better ,where my wife is from they dont use sheilds they just close there eyes or use sunnys unbeleivable ,a ot of the welds are to .
crispy 

[gunna]

Hi Terra
Go the tec corse im going to do one when i get around to it
I bought a mig  & found this web site to get me goin
hope u or anybody else will find it interesting
cheers sheeds
http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/learning-mig.htm

[graham]

luv what redback has done ,did my cargo barrier in the back the same way. for my two cents worth if you are going to weld two thin(0.9 -3.2) wall thickness and you are not sure about your capabilities,grab a big electrode 3.2mm, crank it up to140-180 amps (if possible). it might be hard to visualise, but do the tack weld for a short burst, so the tack looks twice the size of the electrode thru the welding lens, and will look like a big round tack. if you do it ,so that the electrode is square to the workpiece, the electrode will be concave .(its very hard to type and visualise what i am trying to explain). the idea is that you do a tackweld, move 20-30mm do another tackweld,keep doing this along the length of the work piece, clean each tackweld, then start backtracking and start to overlay each tackweld as you move along. the idea is, use a bigger electrode turn it up so you get a 4-6mm tack really quickly, than if you used a smaller electrode to get to get the same size tackweld,(more heat). you can also do this with the smaller electrodes, turn them up and do a series of short tackwelds to join thin materials. the theory is that you get a quick hot tack.as against a slow very hot weld on thin material. have a crack the worst that can happen is that you have to do it again . if you live in the sth eastern suburbs (melb) be more than happy to show you most welding techniques cheers@beers Graham

[duggie]

i dont have any trouble using a stick welder on trailers and the like, patching a motorboke exhause on the other hand is definitely tig territory.

mig does most stuff as well, gasless mig is crap and not worth it,

I am not a great welder but I can hold my own. I do not agree that a gasless mig is crap. I have both gas mig (3 phase 275 amp) and gasless ( single phase 200 amp) as well as a stick inverter ( single phase 210 amp) each machine has its good and bad points. With the gasless there is more splatter to clean after the weld but when outside the workshop/shed the gasless will perform better than gas as the gas from a gas mig can be blown away from the weld by the wind . Both types of mig welder will give you a great weld, horses for courses. cheers duggie.

[jetcrew]

I was an average welder to say the least with my stick welder that dad gave me ,it was 1980 circa, recently bought a weldmaster and you would think I am a new person now .Still not the best but its really unbelivable how the right tools even in an amatures hands do a better job.

My advice as has been posted ,buy a decent mig a roll of wire and cut loose, I bought my mig from a welding/oxy shop and the guy new his stuff, came with a 1 hr lesson upon pick up , and I was away. best thing I ever did. If you buy from a tool shop ask for a demo and if they can't do it shop elsewhere as there are specialist shops who sell this stuff. 

Now I look for things to weld just for fun.

jetcrew

[terravista]

I offer my thanks for all the information given so far. Mostly informative, and a lot of experience shared.
Cheers
Ian

[Digger]

Hey fellow welding Swaggers , looking at getting a welder for little jobs ie 9kg Gas bottle oz pigs etc. I know you get what you pay for have a few power tools from this brand and they seem to hold up for their price . Also have a 200 dollar bunning gift card so only looking at 200 outlay. Have had a look on ebay and places but feel with a 3 year warranty and good at any bunnings . Am I wasting my money or is this good for small jobs , not going to build a trailer just stuff around. Thanks for feedback in advance
  Digger
135Amp OZITO MWR-135 Gas/Gasless MIG Welder


I/N: 6290149

$399.00 Each

Price correct as at Saturday, 18 June 2011 03:15:01 PM

[singo-26]

Hey fellow welding Swaggers , looking at getting a welder for little jobs ie 9kg Gas bottle oz pigs etc. I know you get what you pay for have a few power tools from this brand and they seem to hold up for their price . Also have a 200 dollar bunning gift card so only looking at 200 outlay. Have had a look on ebay and places but feel with a 3 year warranty and good at any bunnings . Am I wasting my money or is this good for small jobs , not going to build a trailer just stuff around. Thanks for feedback in advance
  Digger
135Amp OZITO MWR-135 Gas/Gasless MIG Welder


I/N: 6290149

$399.00 Each

Price correct as at Saturday, 18 June 2011 03:15:01 PM

I've got the same welder branded differently. It's ok for limited use, the handpiece is rubbish and it seems to drag the wire resulting in slow wire feed. The on/off switch on mine has also packed it in. When I get another I will spend more to get a better quality unit, But this one has done the job so far.